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Seite 1

Clive:(Enters)Leo: HeyClive: HeyClive: Can I Tell You Something?Leo: Sure. What?Clive: I Think, I Mean, I Might be an autist. — (Silence) —

Seite 2

Leo: No, you are not.— (Silence) —Clive: Wow … I mean … why you are saying this?Leo: Cause you can’t be.— (Waitress break) —— (silence) —Clive: So you are an expert? How would you know?Leo: I’ve seen Rain Man. You are nothing like him.

Seite 3

Clive: But Rain Man is a very harmful stereotype and nothing like most autists.Leo: Everybody knows Rain Man is autistic.Clive: He is based on Kim Peek. Kim Peek wasn’t autistic.Leo: So?Clive: What?Leo: Does it matter?Clive: Of course it does matter if you are saying I’m not an autist cause I’m not like Rain Man. Kim Peek was a Savant. Savants have islands of abilities.

Seite 4

Leo: You don’t have a special ability.Clive: No.Leo: So you are not an autist.Clive:(facepalms)Clive: Look, you are my friend for a long time. You know I always had problems.Leo: So you say you are autistic as an excuse for being a jerk.Clive: No. I mean yes. I mean no. I mean … it might explain some things.

Seite 5

Leo: As I said. Just a lame excuse.— (waitress break) —Leo: you are not stupid.Clive: What? No! What does that have to do with the topic?Leo: Autists are stupid. Retarded.Clive: No! They aren’t. They might be clever or not. Like everybody else.Leo: you just say so because you want to be cool. Like Sheldon.— (silence. Leo drinks) —

Seite 6

Clive: This means you are at least acknowledge that autists are not stupid?Leo: They are. Except the face autists who are want to be cool.Clive: (facepalms)Leo: you can talk.Clive: most autistics can talk. Rain Man can talk.Leo: Ha! Now you are, too, saying Rain Man is an autist!Clive: You said that and you can’t have both. Rain Man as an autist or autists can’t talk.Leo: You are now the expert?

Seite 7

Clive: Well, I’ve read some things about it.Leo: Because you want to be cool.Clive: Autism isn’t cool. It is stigmatised.Leo: Of course. Autists are dangerous.— (silence) —Clive: What?Leo: Like this kid that killed people on the street.Clive: that wasn’t an autist.Leo: you say that because you want autists to be cool.

Seite 8

Clive: I’ll go now. I thought you are a friend I could talk to.Leo: Autistics can’t make friends.Clive: So you say. One friend less.Leo: Yeah. Fuck off you autistic jerk.Leo:(drinks)

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Clive and Leo in „Autism“ is an unfortunately not ‚too cynical to be true‘ comic about thing autistic adults hear.

Created with inspiration from #autisten.de, including Rechercheur, Abendrot, Bock & Soor.

If a Friend or family member want to talk about mental health issues, then don’t be Leo.

Created November 2014 for ‚Comic Books and Graphic Novels‘ held by W. Kuskin on Coursera. — M. Eckenfels 2014